


Whoops, I Brought A Demon Into Our House

by rose_gardens



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Adoption, Alternate Universe - Demons, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Established Relationship, Family Feels, Found Family, Gen, M/M, Minor Krista Lenz | Historia Reiss/Ymir, Not Beta Read, Titan Shifter Trio
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-17
Updated: 2020-09-03
Packaged: 2021-01-25 19:27:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 9,102
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21361462
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rose_gardens/pseuds/rose_gardens
Summary: Something is up with the kid Reiner's boyfriend is fostering. Maybe it's the way she always seems to be watching them. Maybe it's how animals are scared of her. Maybe it's the fangs.But there's a chance it's just Reiner's imagination, right? Yeah. Bertholt's kid isn't a demon. She can't be.
Relationships: Krista Lenz | Historia Reiss/Ymir, Reiner Braun & Bertolt Hoover & Annie Leonhart, Reiner Braun/Bertolt Hoover
Comments: 6
Kudos: 30





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Ok so this is a really old fic idea that I never got around to writing in full, until now. I think it was inspired by a movie trailer or something, but like I said this idea has been floating around for like, 2 years. I've messed with the characters' ages a bit but the dynamic should be similar to canon.

Reiner was, admittedly, a bit annoyed at first when Bertholt cancelled their date. 

"Something's come up," Bertholt had said, over the phone. "Um, I'm busy right now, uh, I can't - hold on -"

He'd distanced himself from the phone, and Reiner had heard a loud meowing on the other end. Bertholt said something, sounding alarmed. 

"Is everything alright?" Reiner asked. 

"Yeah, look, we'll still have our date, right? Just... not at the moment. I, I love you. Bye."

And he'd hung up. Bertholt had continued to be cryptic about what he was busy with over the next week, refusing to let Reiner come over and only giving him short calls. Reiner was considering just going over to Bertholt's house anyway, but in the end he didn't need to do that, because Bertholt agreed to meet up at the cafe to talk things out.

Reiner was scared, to say the least. He and Bertholt had been together since high school, and they'd known each other even longer, but the way he'd put it made it sound like Bertholt wanted to break up with him. He wasn't, though, right? Because Reiner hadn't done anything to hurt him, had he? 

Bertholt showed up to the cafe fifteen minutes late, covered in sweat. Reiner still kissed him when he came in. 

"So, what's this big new thing that's taken you away from me?" Reiner asked, only half joking. Bertholt grimaced, and fiddled with his hands. 

"I don't really know how to say this," he said, running a hand through his hair, "but, um, youknowhowyoualwayswantedkids?"

Reiner blinked. It was difficult to hear what Bertholt had said, but he could make out some words, and it sounded like...

"I'm fostering a child," Bertholt added, slower and clearer. It took a second for the news to sink in. 

"Bert, this is great news!" Reiner said. He smiled and took his hand. "That's why you've been busy? Looking after them? Oh, thank god, I thought you were breaking up with me."

Bertholt laughed awkwardly. "I love you, Reiner, I wouldn't, um." He looked as if he was going to say something else, but stopped, and smiled instead. 

"So how are they?" Reiner asked. "The kid. Are they fitting in well?"

Bertholt nodded. "Yeah, yeah, um. Her name's Annie, she's seven, and uh, she's great! Uh, I think I have pictures," he said, pulling his phone out of his pocket. He opened the photo app, and handed the battered old iphone over to Reiner. 

"It's from her file," Bertholt said. "She um, doesn't like having photos taken, so I only have a few."

Reiner looked at the photo. The girl in it had a vacant stare. It creeped him out. He swiped to the next picture, which was of the same girl frowning at the camera, sitting at Bertholt's kitchen table and colouring in. Reiner was relieved to see her with an expression, even if it was annoyed. It was better than the nothingness in the first photo.

"Her dad wasn't exactly the best. I mean, I don't think she was abused, but she was... sheltered. They lived out in the bush and they didn't have a TV, so we were the first people she met who weren't her parents. I was the only person at the station she trusted, so uh, I'm looking after her."

"So you're the first person she's been with?" Reiner asked. Bertholt nodded.

"Her dad went missing," he said. "We're looking for him. We're hoping Annie knows something about her dad, but she hasn't spoken about him yet." 

They sat and talked for a while longer, before they payed for their food and left. 

"So, uh, I wanted to ask if you wanted to come around and meet Annie?" Bertholt asked. "You don't have to, but if she's going to stay then I think she should get used to you."

"Oh, of course," Reiner said. "I'd love to." 

Bertholt let out a breath, and his shoulders relaxed. "Okay. Come to my place tomorrow at ten?"

Reiner nodded, and he and Bertholt shared a kiss.

\--

Reiner showed up at five minutes to ten the next morning. He'd made an effort to clean up as much as possible; he'd combed his hair, put on a new shirt, and bought a bouquet of flowers. He rang the doorbell, and felt like a teen on prom night.

The door opened, and a small brown blur sprinted past him. Bertholt looked upset.

"Damn it," he said. He looked up, and saw the bouquet. "Is that..?"

"For you? Yeah." Reiner smiled, and handed over the flowers. Bertholt smiled at them, then leaned over and kissed Reiner on the cheek. 

"Come on inside," Bertholt said. 

Reiner followed, walking down the familiar hallway and into the lounge room. On the couch, staring at her sneakers, sat Annie.

"I'm sorry about the cat," she whispered. Bertholt sighed. 

"It wasn't your fault, okay?" Bertholt said, sitting down next to her. "I'm sure he'll come back."

Annie kicked the floor with the toe of her shoe, and looked up. She saw Reiner and frowned.

"Oh, Annie, this is, this is my boyfriend Reiner, I told you about him," Bertholt said. Annie kept her scowl. 

"It's great to meet you," Reiner said, holding out his hand. Annie just stared at it. He put his hand in his pocket, smiling awkwardly. 

"I'm going to need a vase to put these in," Bertholt said. He smiled at Annie. "Would you like to go and get one from the kitchen?"

Annie looked at the flowers for a while, then got off the couch to go into the kitchen. Reiner sighed, and sat down on the couch. 

"It's okay, that wasn't her worst reaction," Bertholt said, holding Reiner's hand. "Just give her time. She'll warm up to you soon."

Annie came back into the lounge, holding an empty jam jar. 

"No vases," she said. Bertholt took the jar from her, a small smile on his face. 

"That's alright," he said. "Thank you for getting it. We'll put the flowers in later, okay?"

\--

Reiner came around again the next morning. Bertholt was standing out in the front garden, tapping the side of his cat's bowl with a spoon, and calling out. Reiner greeted him with a kiss again. 

"Marcel hasn't come back?" Reiner asked, referring to the cat. Bertholt shook his head. 

"I'd thought he'd be back by now," he said, disappointed. "Annie's helping me make missing posters for him."

"Do you want me to help?" Reiner asked. 

Bertholt smiled in relief. "Oh, thank you. Come on inside."

The three of them sat at the kitchen table, copying down the details on the sample poster. Reiner thought it was a waste of time, when they could be using a photocopier, but Bertholt insisted that it would be a good activity, possibly even bonding time. The whole time, Annie had a guilty look on her face, as if she blamed herself for the cat running away.

After that, they drove around town, pasting posters on different lamp posts and walls. Reiner watched as Bertholt helped Annie stick a poster to a community message board. He had a way with kids.

_I'm going to marry him so fucking hard, _he thought.

After _that,_ they decided to go out to eat. They left the choice up to Annie, who just shrugged. Reiner suggested a local diner, and, since Annie wasn't choosing, that was where they went.

"Are you going to eat your food?" Bertholt asked. Annie was picking at the chips in front of her. She put one in her mouth, grimaced, and threw it back on the plate.

"Too salty," she said. Bertholt sighed. 

"Hey, if we stop by the grocery store on the way back, I could make bolognaise," Reiner offered. Bertholt looked at him in relief. 

"Thank you, yes, _please_," he said. "Would you like that?"

Annie shrugged. "Okay."

Bertholt smiled. He gave Reiner a loving gaze. 

\--

"Thank you so much for this," Bertholt said. He sat at the kitchen table, still looking at Reiner in admiration. 

"Oh, no problem," Reiner replied. "I know you love my cooking. You've been so stressed over Annie lately, so I figured you could do with some help. Hey, could you pass the basil?"

Bertholt stood up, and passed the jar of basil to Reiner. 

"You know, if I moved in, it'd be easier for me to cook for you," Reiner said. 

"Yeah, but..." 

Annie walked into the kitchen, clutching a piece of paper. Bertholt jerked his head towards her, and Reiner understood. Bertholt didn't want Reiner to move in with him because he wanted Annie to adjust first. Reiner silently chastised himself for not moving in with his boyfriend sooner.

"Did you draw something?" Bertholt asked kindly, kneeling down. Annie handed him the paper. "Oh, this is sweet."

Reiner leaned over to get a look at the drawing. It was a simple child's scribble, a few stick figures and a house.

"Is this you and... your dad?" Bertholt asked. Annie shook her head, and pointed at Bertholt's chest. "Oh, this is us? It's lovely, I'll put it on the fridge."

Annie watched intently as Bertholt walked over to the refrigerator and stuck the drawing on. He smiled proudly, but Annie's expression didn't change. 

\--

Reiner woke up on the couch. Bertholt was spread across the couch and his body, a leg over Reiner's shoulder, the other dangling on the floor. They hadn't moved to the bedroom that night, deciding instead to watch Netflix. Reiner rubbed at his eyes, and looked at the clock on the windowsill. 3 AM. _The witching hour,_ a voice in his head said. 

Except... the voice wasn't just in his head. A quiet voice was speaking, then pausing, then speaking again. Like they were having a conversation. Reiner listened for a bit, then realised that it was Annie who was talking.

"Not yet," she whispered. "I will, soon."

There wasn't any way for Reiner to stand up without disturbing Bertholt, so he had no choice but to listen from his spot on the couch. 

"I know," Annie said again. Her voice became panicked. "Please, I need more time, please."

A silence followed again. Then, a relieved "thank you" could be heard, and then footsteps - and Reiner closed his eyes. He felt Annie enter the lounge room, and stop. He couldn't see, but it was like she was staring at him. Did she know he was faking being asleep?

"Is something wrong?" Reiner asked. He opened his eyes.

Sure enough, Annie was standing there. At least, it looked vaguely like Annie. Her skin was a grey colour, and her hair was white - not light blonde, white. To top it off, two horns, not unlike a goat's, protruded from the hair. Reiner blinked, and her strange appearance disappeared. _What a strange hallucination,_ he thought. Clearly, he needed to get his antipsychotics checked.

"Do you want a glass of water?" Reiner asked. Annie shook her head, and crawled up onto his lap. She closed her eyes, and Reiner realised that Annie wasn't going to leave. 

It was just a hallucination. Obviously.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Reiner tries to find a sensible explanation for what he saw last night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so I have a vague idea of where this is going but actually I'm kinda just winging it. The information about antipsychotic switching is from google so if there's anything too inaccurate please tell me! I'm always open to feedback and I don't want to portray mental illness incorrectly.

That morning, Reiner decided to make pancakes for breakfast. 

"You really don't have to," Bertholt said, again. He was relatively humble, but Reiner was insistent on spoiling him.

"Nonsense. I love you," Reiner said. 

"Yes, but you have work in two hours," Bertholt protested. "The station gave me time off to look after Annie, but your office hasn't."

"Well, I have just enough time to make breakfast," Reiner said, taking the first pancake out of the pan and putting it on a plate. He passed it to Annie, who was standing expectantly by his side. With breakfast, she moved into the lounge. Bertholt looked like he was going to ask her to sit at the table, but left it. 

"So, I had this really weird hallucination last night," Reiner said. Bertholt looked up in surprise.

"A hallucination? I thought you'd stopped having them?" 

Reiner's medical history wasn't a secret. He'd had hallucinations since their teenage years, but they'd calmed down since he'd been put on medication. 

"Apparently not," Reiner said. He put another pancake on a plate. "I mean, it could have just been a dream, but I think I'll go to the doctor to get checked out."

Bertholt hummed in agreement. 

Annie came back into the room. She held her plate in her hands, pancake half eaten. 

"Didn't you like it?" Bertholt asked, his attention caught. 

"I'm full," she said. She looked up at Reiner, and ran over to him. "Thank you for breakfast."

"Aw, no problem," he said. He put a hand on her hair and ruffled it. His happy mood was shot, however, when his hand came in contact with something sharp. It felt like - like -

Reiner withdrew his hand immediately. Annie looked up at him, meeting his shocked gaze with an indifferent one of her own. 

"Reiner, what's wrong?" Bertholt asked. He noticed the shock on his face, and rushed to his side to help.

"Oh, it's nothing," Reiner said with a nervous chuckle. "I just, uh, remembered that I have to go into work early today. That's all."

It wasn't a very convincing lie, and it didn't seem to convince Bertholt. But he didn't say anything about it. 

"Well, I guess I'd better let you go home so you can get ready," was all he said. Reiner smiled, and grabbed one of the pancakes. Bertholt leaned in to kiss him goodbye, but before so, whispered, "stay safe."

Reiner met his concerned face. "I will," he said with a sure smile. He looked down at Annie for a fraction of a second, then back up. "And you stay safe too."

He pecked him on the cheek, then left Bertholt's apartment. 

\--

Reiner worked at a call centre. It was dull work, but it payed his bills. He was having trouble concentrating on his work, today, though. The thought of his hallucination last night kept him from doing anything worthwhile. In his lunch break, he booked a doctor's appointment, scheduled for that afternoon. 

Bertholt texted him several times during the day, checking up on him. 

Reiner assured Bertholt that he was fine, and asked some questions of his own.

_How'_s _Annie_ _doing? _  
_Is she alright?_

_Yeah she's okay_  
_We're going down to the park later _  
_Are you staying over again tonight?_

_No lol_  
_I have to make sure my apartment's ok _  
_And anyway I think she needs a break from me for a while_  
_Shit my boss is looking at me love you bye 💕💕_

Reiner smiled at his boss, shoving his phone away. 

"Hey, can I leave ten minutes early?" He asked. His boss looked at him, questioning. "It's just, I have a doctor's appointment and I want to get there early..."

His boss nodded, and let him leave. 

\--

Reiner got home in the evening, exhausted. He dumped the bag with his new medication on the bench, and collapsed in a chair. The doctor had suggested he switch to a different drug, because clearly the old one wasn't working if he was hallucinating his boyfriend's foster kid with horns. 

His phone started ringing almost as soon as he sat down. He was annoyed, until he saw that Bertholt was calling him. 

"Hello?" Reiner asked. 

"Hi," Bertholt answered, relief in his voice. "How have you been today? Have the hallucinations come back?"

"Uh, no, not really. The doctor changed my medication, so it might get worse before it gets better, but hopefully this gets rid of them."

"Oh, god," Bertholt said. "How long do you think it will take? For them to ease off?"

"I mean, I want it to only be a week or two, but it might take a while for the new one to kick in. Plus there are all these really awful side effects sometimes, so, uh, I probably should stay away from you guys for a couple of days. So I don't scare Annie or anything."

Reiner was unsure if it was possible for Annie to even be scared, but he didn't say this to Bertholt. 

"But if you need anything while you're switching, please call?" Bertholt said. "Like, I can get a babysitter for Annie and come around to help you out. If you're scared or anything..."

"Yeah, I'll keep my phone on," Reiner said. He said so with a smile, but he didn't mean it. Hallucinations were scary - not only for him, but for the people around him too. The image of his father's horrified face flashed in his memory. He didn't want that sort of stress on Bertholt.

"Okay. I need to go now, so... love you."

"I love you too," Reiner said, as he hung up. 

He didn't end up having any hallucinations over the period he took off from work. Bertholt came around a couple of times to bring food or just company. They never did anything more than talk or cuddle, though, despite Reiner's insistence. 

"You're on drugs, Reiner," Bertholt said one night. "It's not, I can't, you can't make decisions properly."

"I'm always on drugs," Reiner said. Bertholt looked at him in pity.

"You know what I mean. You're on new drugs." Bertholt leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. 

"Yeah, but when are we gonna get a chance like this again? We're both off work, it's warm in my bed, and Annie's being babysat by your work friend." Reiner gave his best bedroom eyes, which made Bertholt smile. Another kiss, sloppier and tireder this time. 

"Look, Annie doesn't like Hitch all that much, so I should go home," Bertholt said. He stood up, to Reiner's protests, and grabbed his phone and keys from the counter. "I'll talk to you over the phone, I promise. I - I love you."

"Love you too!" Reiner called, watching his boyfriend leave the apartment. With Bertholt gone, an uneasy quiet settled over the house. Reiner didn't like the silence. That was why he surrounded himself with other people; so that he didn't have time to reflect on his thoughts.

Reiner skipped dinner, and went straight to bed that night.

\---

It was a long time before Reiner adjusted to the new medication. At least a month passed before he got his life back to normal. He stayed over at Bertholt's house a few times (though they didn't have sex much, what with Annie being in the next room). Annie continued to be creepy and quiet, but she seemed to warm up to Reiner. And, having gotten over the trust hurdle, he and Bertholt talked about their future.

"I think I'd probably move into your place," Reiner said. "My place is kind of crappy. And yours is closer to work, anyway. And you shouldn't move Annie into a new environment."

Bertholt grimaced, wrapping his hands around the coffee mug in front of him. 

"Do you think you'll end up adopting her?" Reiner asked. "If they don't find her dad. How's the investigation going?"

Bertholt took a drink from his cup, a worried expression on his face. "It's like he never existed, Reiner," he whispered. "His car was still in the driveway. There was no sign of a break in or struggle. There was some ash on the ceiling, but there's no sign of any other kind of fire damage. Maybe he ran off into the woods? We don't know."

"Probably. Has Annie, like, talked about him?" 

Bertholt shook his head. "Not a thing. I don't think... I don't think he was a good father."

"Of course not, he abandoned-"

Reiner was cut off by Bertholt clamping a hand over his mouth. He turned around to see Annie, standing in the doorway. He gave a fake smile.

"Aren't we going to go to the park?" Annie said quietly. Bertholt spun around to look at the clock, then back at Annie. 

"Oh my god, yes, I'm sorry," Bertholt said. He stood up from the barstool, shrugging on his jacket. "Reiner, do you want to come with us?"

"Oh, sure," Reiner said. He put his phone in his pocket and followed them out of the house. 

Annie walked on ahead, kicking rocks on the footpath as she went on. 

"What were you saying earlier?" Reiner asked quietly. "About Annie's dad. That he was..."

"Abusive?" Bertholt answered the question in a whisper, constantly stealing glances at Annie to make sure she was alright and couldn't hear them. 

"Yeah, that."

"Well, we don't know for sure that he was. But Annie seems on edge, Reiner. Sometimes, when she thinks I can't see or hear her, she gets all scared and whispers to herself. Something happened to her."

Reiner stopped in his tracks. "You said she... whispered to herself?" Bertholt nodded.

"Sometimes. I don't know if it's a coping mechanism or what, but..." He looked away.

"Yeah, yeah, it probably is!" Reiner said. "A coping mechanism. That's what it is."

He was telling it to himself more than Bertholt. 


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Reiner prepares to move in with Bertholt. He isn't prepared, however, for whatever Annie did.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I thought I'd already posted this but apparently I hadn't?? Anyway I'm glad you guys are enjoying this fic :)

Over the next couple of days, Reiner gradually started to move in with Bertholt. The first thing he did was tell his landlord about the move. Then he had a garage sale: there was a lot of stuff hanging around that Reiner just didn't need. Bertholt came over to help, bringing Annie as well. She mainly just sat on the lawn and played with a pair of rusty secateurs. At least until Bertholt realised that they were a Sharp Object and confiscated them. Annie, annoyed that her game had been interrupted, stormed off.

"Shit, oh, I need to make sure she doesn't hurt herself," Bertholt said. Reiner put a hand on his shoulder and kissed his cheek. 

"You stay here. I'll talk to her," Reiner said. Bertholt smiled, and went to talk to a potential buyer about a photo frame.

Reiner surveyed the apartment complex's courtyard quickly, trying to find where Annie had run off to. A flash of blonde hair behind a bush gave her away, and Reiner made his way over.

"Hey Ann, I'm sorry Bert took your game away, but you can't play with secateurs," he said. "They're garden tools. You could have cut yourself, and then we'd get in trouble for child endangerment."

Reiner walked around the bush, trying to muster a sympathetic smile as to not scare Annie. Her knees were tucked up to her chest, and she scowled at him. He knelt down to sit at the same level. 

"Are you alright?" He asked. Annie moved away, staring at him intently. Reiner reached out a hand for her to take. "Do you want to come back to where we are?"

Annie stared at his arm for a second, before reaching out and - 

Reiner felt a sharp pain in his forearm, and pulled it away.

"Shit!" He cried, looking at the mark. Annie moved back, guilt on her face. She'd _bit_ him. Holy crap.

"Is everything alright?" Bertholt came over at the shout. "Reiner, oh my god, are you okay?"

"Yeah," Reiner lied. "Uh, there was a possum, it bit me."

"A possum?" Bertholt asked, voice heightening with worry. "What if it has rabies?"

"I'll be fine," Reiner said, regretting the cover story. Maybe he should have just said that Annie had bit him. But Reiner met her eyes, and she shook her head.

Bertholt helped him up. "Come on, you need to get that checked out," he said, looking at the bite mark. "What a weird bite."

"Yeah, it was... a weird possum." Reiner took his arm back, putting his hand in his back pocket. "Thank god I'm leaving this place, ha!"

Reiner laughed, trying to mask the throbbing pain in his arm, as well as the confusion he still had at the whole situation. He snuck a glance down at Annie, who was clinging to Bertholt's leg. 

"What's wrong, Annie?" Bertholt asked. "Are you ready to go home?"

Annie nodded, burying her face in Bertholt's trouser. "Wanna go home."

Bertholt sighed, and picked Annie up. "I guess we'd better pack up," he said. Annie burrowed her face into his shoulder. "Alright then."

They packed up the garage sale, Reiner's arm still stinging. He tried to ignore it. Instead, he focused on how much he'd sold that day - at least two hundred dollars worth, half of it coming from an ugly cabinet he didn't want. When everything was safe, Bertholt kissed Reiner goodbye and drove Annie home. Now home alone, Reiner started the process of packing his things ready for the removalists. Most of the furniture in the apartment belonged to his landlord, which simplified things significantly. 

Reiner was taping shut a box of clothes when his phone started ringing. He checked it; it was Bertholt. 

"Hey, Bert," he said with a smile. 

"How far have you gotten through the packing?" Bertholt asked. "Do you want us to come around tomorrow to help you?"

"I'm nearly done," Reiner said. "But you could still come around after work, if you wanted."

Reiner could almost see Bertholt smile on the other end. "Maybe I might," he said. 

"To think, we'll be living together in a few days." Reiner sat down on his bed, and thought about the future. His future, with Bertholt. The love of his life.

"Yeah. How's, uh, how's your arm doing?" Bertholt asked. 

His arm? Reiner looked down at it, and his heart dropped. Where Annie had bit him, there appeared to be a black liquid in his veins. Reiner dropped the phone in shock. 

"Reiner? Reiner, what's wrong?"

Reiner picked the phone back up. "I'm... I'm fine," he said, trying to hide the tremor in his voice. "I just dropped the phone."

"Oh, I'm glad you're okay," Bertholt said. "I'll come around at noon tomorrow, okay? I love you."

"Love you too," Reiner said as he hung up. He just hoped that whatever was in his arm wouldn't kill him before then.

\--

Bertholt arrived at Reiner's apartment at eleven o'clock the next morning to find Reiner collapsed on the kitchen floor.

"Reiner? Oh my god." He ran to his side and checked for a pulse, glad to find one. "Reiner, answer me please, please be okay," Bertholt pleaded. 

Annie stood behind him, staring in guilt at Reiner's unconscious body. Bertholt looked over his shoulder to speak to her. 

"Annie, get the phone and call an ambulance," he said. Annie nodded quickly and grabbed Bertholt's phone from the table. 

_Reiner could barely comprehend what was around him, but he definitely knew he was being held. And he definitely knew it was Bertholt holding him. And, if he was correct, he heard a tiny voice say _sorry.

\--

Reiner woke up in a hospital bed, an IV plugged into his arm. He opened his eyes very slowly, taking in his surroundings. Bertholt was sitting in a plastic chair next to him, half asleep.

"Hey, Bert," Reiner said. He was surprised at how dry his voice sounded. 

Bertholt stirred from his sleep as well, smiling tiredly when he saw Reiner, and taking his hand. "I'm so glad you're okay."

"What happened?" Reiner asked. "Last I remember I was packing up my kitchen stuff."

"You fainted, or something," Bertholt said quietly. His smile faltered. "When I came over, you were on the floor, and, and your arm... it was like, like I could see your veins. God, Reiner, I thought you were going to die."

"Well, I'm here now," Reiner said, making a thumbs up gesture that hurt to do. Bertholt didn't seem reassured by the gesture. He gently took Reiner's hand, unfolding the fist he'd made, and held it.

"I love you," Bertholt said. There were tears in his eyes, and Reiner suddenly felt awkward. He should have told Bertholt about the bite earlier, before it came to this. 

"I'm sorry," Reiner said. "I should have told you sooner, Bert. I thought it'd go away."

Bertholt furrowed his brows. "Things like this don't just go away if you ignore them. If I'd shown up a minute later, it might have been-" He choked, tears welling up in his eyes. 

"Hey, I'm not dead," Reiner said. Damn it, he was starting to cry too. He squeezed Bertholt's hand, trying to stop him from crying. 

It was then that he realised Annie was not in the room with them. Which was a shame, since Reiner really wanted to know what the hell she'd done to him. The horns he could explain as being part of a hallucination. The general weirdness could be chalked up as trauma. But the weird blood infection that seemed to spread from where Annie had bit him? That shit didn't add up.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While Reiner recovers from whatever Annie did to him, more strange things happen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> shorter chapter this time, but I hope it's still quality

Reiner promised himself that the next time he saw Annie, he was going to get the truth out of her. But, when it came down to it, when Annie was standing by his bedside looking distraught and clinging to Bertholt's trouser leg, Reiner couldn't. It wasn't the right time or place.

"Annie was scared about you," Bertholt explained. "Do you want to give him the card you made?"

Annie nodded, handed Reiner the paper card in her hand, and wiped at her face.

"Wow, thanks for this," Reiner said, putting a smile on his face and looking at the card.

_Im sorry your sick,_ the card read. Reiner smiled, finding the grammar errors charming.

"Aw, I'm getting better now, Ann," he said, putting the card on the bedside table and reaching out a hand to ruffle Annie's hair. She pulled away, however, burying her face in Bertholt's shirt and crying. She mumbled something inaudible to Reiner that Bertholt seemed to pick up on.

"I'm gonna take her home now," Bertholt said. He planted a kiss on Reiner's forehead, then took Annie out of the room. Reiner wasn't left alone for long, because a nurse came in to check his vitals. After they were done, his mother burst into his room in tears.

"I flew down from Liberio as soon as I heard the news," Karina cried. She held Reiner's hand as gently as Bertholt had, rubbing his bandaged arm with her spare hand. "Bertholt called me. He said he wasn't sure if you were going to make it or not. I can't believe that a possum bite had that kind of affect!"

"Yeah," Reiner said, the image of Annie sinking her teeth into his arm playing through his head again. "Me neither."

They spoke about other things after that. Meaningless things, really. Karina's life back home. How his baby cousin Gabi was doing. Reiner's move in with Bertholt (despite the fact that they'd been dating for years and moved to this city together, they hadn't lived together yet).

Bertholt's temporary custody of Annie.

"The two of you are a bit young for a kid, aren't you?" Karina asked, concerned.

"No, it's not like that," Reiner said. "Bertholt's looking after her while they're looking for her dad. We're just playing it one day at a time right now."

"Oh." Karina seemed to deflate. "I was a bit excited about meeting a granddaughter."

"Well, I don't know if you _can_ meet her," Reiner said. "She's fragile, Mom. Annie doesn't like strangers. We aren't legally her parents or anything, so you aren't technically her grandma."

Karina smiled and stayed her hand. "Well, I'll get her something for Christmas. How about a nice blanket? I've just taken up crocheting, I'll be able to have that done by December if I started now."

"Mom!" Reiner said. "I said we're taking things one day at a time. We don't even know if we'll still have custody of her by then."

"You can't stop me," she said with a smile. She planted a kiss to his forehead, the tearily stood up. "I'll come again tomorrow. And stop ignoring my texts!"

"I don't ignore them, you just send me minion memes," Reiner said. Karina acted mock offended, then left with a smile and goodbye.

Finally, Reiner was alone with just himself and his thoughts. And somehow, he drifted off.

In his dream, he was still in the hospital bed, still in the hospital room. But the room looked different, somehow. The ceilings seemed higher, the shadows seemed longer, the hallway outside seemed quieter. In the dream, Reiner got out of bed. He stood up and stretched, and left the room.

"It's unusual, it doesn't look like anything I've ever seen before," a doctor said. She was looking at a laminated sheet, pointing at it. Another doctor stood next to her, listening. He, however, was... unhuman. His fingers tapered off into needle-like points, his skin was a dark grey, and he had a forked tail flicking out of the top of his pants. Reiner took a step back. The doctor noticed his presence, and turned to look at him - revealing that his eyes were a solid red.

_What are you doing out of bed?_ A voice echoed. The demon doctor grinned, and then Reiner sat up in bed.

"What the hell?" He mumbled, heart pumping at an unsteady pace. He ran his hands through his hair, trying to process what he'd just seen. It was a dream, right?

"Mister Braun."

Reiner jumped when he heard the same voice that had woken him up. The doctor from the hall walked in, now without his tail and red eyes.

"You- you-" he swallowed. "I saw you. In the hall..."

The doctor's lips were sealed in a tight line, and he looked down at Reiner through his glasses. "You had a dream. Your body hasn't left this room."

"Oh. Uh, yeah." Reiner nodded. Yeah, that sounded right. The doctor walked over to the side of Reiner's bed and checked the tube in his arm. He picked up the card Annie had given Reiner, and smiled.

"A friend's child?" The doctor asked.

Reiner opened his mouth, about to correct the doctor, but didn't. He was so used to openly showing Bertholt off and introducing him as his boyfriend that he forgot that wasn't safe.

"Yeah," he said. "Yeah, friend's kid. Hey, can I like, leave?"

The doctor gave him a disapproving glare. "Mr Braun, we need to talk about your injury."

Reiner sat up straight, putting his hands in his lap. "Yeah?"

The doctor sat down next to him in the uncomfortable chair. "You claim to have been bitten by a possum, but possums do not have venom."

"Well, it might have been caused by a spider or something, I don't remember," Reiner lied. He didn't think telling the doctor that a kid bit him and - _and injected him with her venom_ \- would be a good idea. He flashed a confident smile, for extra measure.

"Mr Braun," the doctor said, disbelief in his voice. "I need you to work with me here. You _were_ bitten by a spider. The spider injected its venom into you. Regardless of what you saw, or what you thought you saw, it was a _spider_."

He knew. Reiner didn't know how, but this man knew.

"Anything else you _thought_ you saw was a part of a hallucination," the doctor continued.

"That wasn't a hallucination," he finally said. He'd hallucinated before. But Annie had absolutely, 100% bitten him on the arm and nearly killed him and he knew that was real.

"They won't believe you," the doctor said.

Reiner just stared, because the doctor was right. They wouldn't believe him. 

"Good," the doctor said, smiling and showing off a set of oddly sharp teeth. "You seem to be recovering from your spider bite very well."

The doctor left the room, leaving Reiner alone with an even deeper sense of dread than he had before.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> wow it's been a hot minute since I updated this huh. anyway this is probably my favourite fic to write at the moment and I'm glad that so many of you guys enjoy it too!


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Reiner gets discharged from hospital, and decides to confront Annie.

Within a few days, Reiner was discharged from hospital. He was unsurprised but grateful to learn that Bertholt had moved all his stuff to his house, and welcomed him home with a bunch of flowers.

"I might have to thank you for these... _later_," Reiner teased.

Bertholt smiled and rolled his eyes playfully. "Get in the car, save it for when we're at home."

"Hey, Bert?" Reiner asked as he buckled the seatbelt.

"Yeah?"

Reiner took a long look at his boyfriend's face, taking in every familiar detail of it. All there, all solid. All human.

Tears welled in Reiner's eyes as he hugged Bertholt. He was wearing his favourite cologne, the one Reiner had bought him for his birthday last year.

"Hey, be careful with your arm," Bertholt said. "I don't want to- um-"

"You know I love you, right?" Reiner asked, mumbling into Bertholt's shoulder.

"Yeah, you, uh, you tell me every day," Bertholt said. "Well, I love you too."

Reiner nodded as he pulled away, wiping at his tears. He kept sneaking glances at Bertholt throughout the trip, comforted by the familiar sight.

"Annie's being babysat right now," Bertholt explained as he pulled out of the hospital's carpark.

"Oh? And how is she?" Reiner crossed his arms, thinking of the show she'd put on when she came to visit.

"Awful," Bertholt said. He shook his head. "She cried herself to sleep the first night. And she's been so much more clingy than usual. Nobody's rang about Marcel yet either."

"The cat?" Reiner thought, then remembered. "Oh yeah, he ran away. Shame. I know you loved that cat."

Bertholt nodded. "These past few weeks have been so tough. You getting admitted to hospital was just the cherry on top."

He swallowed, and Reiner saw the glistening shine of tears in his eyes.

"Hey," he said. "Hey, don't cry." He reached out his hand for Bertholt to take, which he didn't. He just laughed, and wiped his tears away.

"I love you, Reiner," Bertholt said. "I'm so glad I have you beside me."

Reiner didn't know how to answer. "Love you too," he finally said. This seemingly satisfied Bertholt, as he focused on the road again.

They pulled up at his house - _their_ house - a minute later, and Reiner prepared himself for the confrontation. He wouldn't be distracted by Annie crying this time around. He'd ask her what the hell she did to him, and what the hell she _was_. Because at this point he was certain that he wasn't just having hallucinations. These were more than that. Something else entirely.

"Oh, you guys are back already!" Hitch called out. She was leaning out of the window. Bertholt nodded, presumably from a lack of other things to say, and opened the door.

Sitting down, hoodie jumper over her knees, Annie met them with a blank stare.

"We're back," Bertholt said quietly. Annie stood up and went to his side, holding his hand. She mumbled something and looked at Reiner, almost fearful. He plastered a big, fake smile on his face, and pretended that everything was fine. Bertholt was none the wiser about his boyfriend and foster-kid's feud.

Hitch came into the entryway from the kitchen, her handbag slung over her shoulder. "Marlowe's taking me out tonight, so I hope you don't mind if I rush off," she said, sliding a pair of sunglasses on. "See you at work!" She called out, and the door slammed behind her.

"Did you have a good day?" Bertholt asked, walking into the kitchen. Annie trailed behind, answering his questions. Reiner followed as well, trying not to drop any leaves from the flower bouquet onto the floors.

"You know, I thought, to celebrate Reiner getting out of hospital - and moving in - we could go out for dinner or something." Bertholt smiled, waiting for approval from the other two.

"That sounds great," Reiner said, through clenched teeth.

\--

They ended up going to a family restaurant named the Happy Kettle. It was located in an old McDonald's building, and you could still see some of the M-shaped architecture left over on the outside. The play place too had simply been repainted by the new owners.

Kids were running around the place, totally unsupervised. Annie stuck close to Bertholt's leg, frowning at the noise.

"Do you want to go - oh." Annie ran off, right in the middle of Bertholt's sentence. He stood awkwardly for a second, before Reiner pulled him over to a table.

Bertholt picked up the menu, flipping through. "I heard the reef and beef here is great," he said.

"I wouldn't know, I've never been here," Reiner said. He looked at his menu, seeing if there was anything that sounded good. "Jesus Christ, these prices."

"We can always share?" Bertholt offered.

"Man, it's been forever since we've shared a meal," Reiner said. He thought back to the last time, back in high school. It'd been back when Reiner had worked at the cinema, and Bert had worked at the convenient candy store opposite where all the moviegoers bought their snacks to avoid the cinema's ridiculous prices. They'd gone on a Valentine's date but all the menu items at the restaurant were too expensive for two high schoolers with part-time jobs, so they shared.

"It was very romantic," Bertholt said, remembering the date. He smiled. "Do you think Annie would want chips?"

Reiner thought back to the last time they'd all gone out for dinner, and how Annie had been disgusted by the salty meal. "Doubt it. We could always ask her though."

"Hmm, you're right." Bertholt looked over to the play place, searching for Annie. Reiner, for one, couldn't see any sign of her.

"I'm not hungry," came a small voice next to Reiner. He jumped, shocked, then calmed down when he saw it was Annie.

"Don't _do _that," he said. How the hell had she even snuck up on him anyway?

"Are you sure?" Bertholt asked Annie. She nodded. "You're certain you don't want anything to eat?"

Annie shook her head.

"Well, alright then."

The waiter chose this moment to come over. "Have you decided on your order?" He asked.

"Uh, a steak with salad," Bertholt said.

"Is that all?"

"Yeah, and for drinks, um," Bertholt looked to Reiner for input.

"A cider," Reiner said.

"Two ciders," Bertholt echoed, "and some juice. Apple juice."

That was the one thing Bertholt knew Annie would drink (aside from water). The waiter nodded, and left to the kitchen.

"So why aren't you hungry?" Reiner asked Annie. She shrugged as she played with a napkin on the table.

Reiner's phone buzzed in his pocket, but he ignored it. He didn't look at his phone when he was out.

"Do you want to have dinner somewhere else?"

Annie shrugged again.

"I can always make spaghetti again if you want," Reiner offered.

Bertholt immediately shook his head. "No, Reiner, you just got home from hospital. You shouldn't be cooking. I can cook instead."

"Bertholt, love of my life, with all due respect, please don't."

Their meal came soon after, and they enjoyed it together. Annie left again, leaving the couple alone.

"This sure is better than hospital food," Reiner said. Bertholt smiled, watching his boyfriend. Then Reiner put his fork down, and stared solemnly at a spot on the table.

"Is something wrong?" Bertholt asked.

"Yeah, I guess. Have you noticed Annie acting... Weird lately?" Reiner looked over to where the girl was climbing on top of the slide.

"You'll have to narrow it down, Reiner, she's always "weird.""

"I mean like..." Reiner lowered his voice. "Like suspicious."

"She's a kid, Reiner." Bertholt looked back at the playplace and saw Annie's endeavour; then stood up with urgency to go and get her down. Reiner heard him tell her to get down.

He sat at the table, watching them. _Annie bit his arm. She injected him with venom that nearly killed him._

_What the hell was she?_

\--

Reiner was silent on the drive back home. He looked in the mirror from time to time, checking up on Annie to make sure she was still human. Or at least, looked human. Currently she was sitting in the back seat and kicking at the floor. She _seemed_ normal.

But Reiner knew it was just a facade. Human children don't have _venom_.

He looked sideways at Bert in the driver's seat. He seemed alright. God, Bertholt had no idea that Annie wasn't just some scared girl.

"Do you want to watch a movie when we get back?" Bertholt asked Annie, breaking the tense silence. 

"No," Annie said quietly. She went back to kicking the floor. Bertholt bit his lip, unsure of what to say. _So that made three of them_.

They pulled up at Bertholt's house - _their_ house - and got out of the car. 

"I need a shower," Bertholt said, wiping the sweat from his brow. "Can you keep an eye on Annie? Get her dinner if she asks?"

Reiner froze, but managed to nod. "Sure I can," he said, faking a smile. 

"Thanks," Bertholt said with a sigh of relief. This left Reiner alone, with only the kid who'd nearly killed him.

Annie was standing in the doorway, watching them. There was a wary look on her face, and Reiner realised that this was his chance.

"What the hell are you?" He asked, heart beating like a drum in his chest.

Annie didn't answer. She just crossed her arms and stared at the ground.

Reiner pressed further. "I _know_ you aren't human. You bit me with your - fangs, or whatever - and I nearly died. Human kids don't have _venom_."

Annie took a step back. Reiner stepped forward. "Look at me. What are you? Some kind of devi-"

He stopped mid-sentence. Annie had looked up to meet his eyes, a terrified look in them. And that look brought him back to ten years ago when he was in her place, listening to his own father say the same thing.

_Devil child. Whore's son. _

"Shit," Reiner mumbled, stepping away. "Annie, I didn't mean-"

The girl took the break as a chance to bolt, Reiner hearing her door slam a moment later. He followed, knocking on her door gently.

"Hey, I'm sorry," he said. There was no answer from the other side of the door. Maybe he was wrong. Maybe it was Reiner who was the one seeing things. Maybe Annie was just a normal, albeit weird, kid. He sighed, and stepped away from the door. 

Bertholt was sitting in the kitchen in his pyjamas, running his fingers through his wet hair. 

"Is something wrong?" He asked, noticing Reiner's stressed look.

"No, I just..." Reiner trailed off, unsure of what to say and how to say it. "Can we talk?"

Bertholt stopped his hair-brushing, and put his hands in his lap. "Actually, there's something I've been meaning to talk to you about as well."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> unbeta'd. how's quarantine been treating you guys? I feel like crap and haven't been able to do any work. sorry this took me four months to update


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A doctor comes to evaluate Annie's mental health.

Reiner sat down next to Bertholt, eager to hear what his boyfriend had to say. His heart was beating in his ears, anxious that he was going to say something bad. 

"Reiner, my dad... he's been getting worse," Bertholt said, his voice quiet. "I don't know how much longer he's got left." 

Reiner put a hand on Bertholt's knee, which he took. Mr Hoover had been sick for a long time, for as long as Reiner had known the family. Possibly even longer. Bertholt had grown up under the shadow of a terminally ill father and a mentally absent mother, and it'd taken a toll on him. To this day, Bertholt was still quiet and found it difficult to ask for help.

"Do you want to go and visit him?" Reiner asked. 

Bertholt nodded. "Annie's having an evaluation tomorrow - to make sure she's doing okay mentally - but I think after that we can organise a trip down to see him."

Reiner gave his boyfriend's hand a squeeze, and tried to give him a reassuring smile. His smile faltered, however, when he remembered that Annie was in the other room, possibly freaking out, because Reiner had confronted her earlier. He'd been a little harsh, though. 

"Speaking of Annie, do they have any more leads on where her dad went?" Reiner asked.

Bertholt shrugged. "I don't know. No one's said anything." He took a glance towards the hall, making sure Annie wasn't listening, before continuing in a lower voice: "I think he's dead."

"Who, Mr Leonhart?"

Bertholt glanced yet again towards the hall, and nodded. "And I think she might know what happened to him, but she's... scared. She's good at hiding it, but-" 

He didn't need to finish his sentence for Reiner to understand. 

"I think she's getting more comfortable here," Bertholt said, "and I just hope - I hope she can tell us the truth about him."

Reiner hoped she'd be able to tell the truth about herself, but that was feeling like a bit of a stretch at the moment. He shook his head, and decided to change the topic. 

"Do you want to go to bed?" Reiner asked quietly, moving his hand up Bertholt's leg. Bertholt looked down in surprise, and smiled awkwardly. 

"I, uh," Bertholt stumbled over his words the way he did when he was caught off guard. Eventually he just gave up trying to speak and nodded enthusiastically. He planted a kiss to the side of Reiner's head, and stood up. 

"I'll make sure Annie's in bed before we, uh," Bertholt said, with a nod and a smile. 

When Bertholt was gone, Reiner dropped his smile and let dread fill his mind.

\--

Reiner might have woken up in the middle of the night, curled up in his and Bert's bed, an arm over his face and the quilt on the floor. He might have, in his sleepy daze, seen a tiny figure watching from the doorway. But he was tired and crazy and there was no reason to believe that it wasn't a dream to begin with.

\--

The psychiatrist came the next morning. He was an older man who'd worked with the police for years, and had a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. It creeped Reiner out, but Bertholt didn't seem to notice. 

"Would you like a drink?" Bertholt offered the doctor, wringing his hands as the doctor sat on the couch. 

"Ah, tea sounds great," the doctor said. He looked around the room, and his eyes fell on Reiner and his bandaged arm. 

"Spider bite," he said quickly. The doctor seemed satisfied. 

"So, where is the little devil?" The doctor asked. Reiner flinched at the wording. 

"Oh, she's just, um, hiding probably," Bertholt said. "I'll go and get her."

"I'll put the kettle on," Reiner announced. He left the room, glad to not be in there any longer. It was making him stressed. 

As he stood in the kitchen, waiting for the kettle to boil, Reiner watched the situation in the living room. Annie had been coaxed out of her hiding place and sat on the couch, as far as she could from the doctor. Bertholt stood off to the side, silent but awkward, as usual. 

Reiner's phone buzzed in his pocket. He ignored it, and set to making a cup of tea for the doctor. 

"Any sugar?" He called out. He peered his head into the lounge to see, and the doctor gave him a nod.

"One, thanks."

Reiner poured the boiling water from the kettle into the mug he had prepared, and pulled a tea bag out of the tin they were held in. He knew the kitchen like the back of his hand, having stayed over at Bert's house more often than his own apartment. When the tea was mixed, Reiner carefully carried it into the living room, and placed it down on the coffee table.

"Ah, thank you," the doctor said, picking the mug up and taking a sip. 

Annie stared at the ground blankly, hands on her knees. She hadn't spoken at all to the doctor, just nodding or shaking her head when he asked her questions. 

"Have you enjoyed your time with Mr Hoover?" The doctor asked. 

Annie gave a halfhearted nod. "He's nice."

"Ah, that's good," the doctor said. He scribbled something on his notepad, then took a drink of his tea. 

Reiner's phone buzzed again. Probably a notification from Twitter or something. 

"And have you been eating well?" The doctor asked further. Annie nodded again. "Ah. Have you been getting enough sleep?"

Reiner's phone buzzed yet again, and the doctor turned to him. "Could you turn that thing off?" He asked, aggravated. 

"Okay, _fine_," Reiner said, taking out his phone to turn it off. He was about to, when he saw who the notifications were from. "I'm gonna step outside."

"Hey, you don't have to-" Bertholt started to say, but Reiner was already back in the kitchen and pressing the call button. 

"Hello, who is-"

"Reiner Braun, why the hell haven't you answered my texts?" 

The speaker yelled this harshly, and Reiner hastily turned the call volume down. 

"Ymir?" Reiner asked. Ymir was the first person he and Bertholt had gotten to know in this city, a rough-round-the-edges patron at the bar they went to on their first night there.

"I've been texting you for the last half hour, what the hell took you so long?" she said angrily. Reiner could hear muffled chatter going on in the background of the call.

"I've been busy?" Reiner shot back. "I have a life, you know."

"Well, I need you to pick me up," Ymir said. "I'm at a cafe on Price street, it's raining and I don't have a car."

"What?" Reiner asked. "Can't you just ask Kenzie?" 

Kenzie was Ymir's girlfriend, a goth Instagram model. Reiner had met her a few times, mostly at parties. Ymir seemed weirdly protective of her, but who was Reiner to judge?

"Just come get me, okay?" Ymir snapped. She hung up, and Reiner was left with his phone in the kitchen.

He made his way back into the lounge room. Without even looking at the doctor, he could tell the man was less than impressed with him. He moved back to stand next to Bert in the corner of the room.

"Who was it?" Bertholt asked quietly, as the doctor continued his questioning. 

"Ymir," Reiner answered. "She needs a lift, or something - look, I'm gonna go pick her up."

Bertholt gave him a look of concern, eyes flicking to his bandaged arm. "Are you sure-"

"I'll be fine," Reiner said, putting his good arm on Bertholt's shoulder. He gave him a smile to assure him, but he wasn't sure Bertholt was convinced. 

"Drive safe," Bertholt asked. He leaned in for a kiss, but hesitated, and took a step back. He opted for a wave goodbye instead. 

The doctor was watching them with an expression that screamed "get on with it." 

"I will," Reiner said, nodding and going to leave. "Love you."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i keep forgetting 2 update this

**Author's Note:**

> I'm tired so tell me if there are any mistakes


End file.
